Chicago Cubs pitcher Marcus Stroman commits MLB’s first pitch clock violation in the opening game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field
Chicago Cubs right-hander Marcus Stroman committed Major League Baseball’s first pitch clock violation in the third inning of Thursday’s opening game against the Milwaukee Brewers.
With no outs, rookie Brice Turang at second base and Christian Yelich at plate, plate umpire Ron Kulpa called out Stroman’s injury at Wrigley Field. Kulpa pointed to his wrist when announcing the call and the automatic ball counted 2-2 against Yelich.
Cubs-Brewers was the fourth of 15 opening day games that began Thursday. Early tilts between Giants vs. Yankees and Braves vs. Nationals made it into the late innings with no violations.
MLB introduced the pitch clock this season to speed up the pace of play. Players have 30 seconds to resume play between batters.
Marcus Stroman committed Major League Baseball’s first pitch clock injury on Thursday
MLB introduced the pitch clock this season to speed up the pace of play — and it appears to be working
Between pitches, pitchers have 15 seconds without an on and 20 seconds if there is a baserunner. Batters must be in the box and alert the pitcher with at least eight seconds on the clock.
If a pitcher fails to throw a pitch on time, the penalty is an automatic ball. If a batter fails to throw a pitch on time, it is an automatic bat.
San Diego Padres star Manny Machado committed the first pitch clock violation during spring training.
The introduction of the new rules during the pre-season gave overwhelming encouragement to players as the average playing time fell from 26 minutes to 2 hours and 35 minutes in the first three weeks.
Other changes this year include larger bases to improve player safety, as well as restrictions on infield moves and pitcher disables to encourage more action.